‘Macbeth’ and ‘Carmen’ Reviews: Bold Voices in the Windy City

In Chicago, a production that moves Verdi’s work to the mid-19th century from medieval times and a concert of Bizet’s classic.

By Heidi Waleson

Sept. 22, 2021 5:25 pm

Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2021-22 season on Friday with a new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” in its regular theater, with full orchestra and chorus. Audience members had to show proof of full vaccination and wear masks; the performance was captured on video for future transmission to ticket buyers who chose not to venture into the theater; and there was no gala party, so no evening dress. Otherwise, this was normal grand opera—for the first time in 18 months—and the near-capacity audience seemed delighted to be there. 

Director David McVicar shifted the story from medieval times to the mid-19th century; John Macfarlane’s unit set depicted a ruined Presbyterian chapel. “Macbeth” is about the destructive nature of power, and the effect of playing all the scenes—blasted heaths and palaces alike—in this confined space, with stygian lighting by David Finn, emphasized its gloomy nihilism. “Macbeth” started out dark and got darker. Moritz Junge’s severe costumes intensified the effect: Most of the men were in military uniforms and the witches of the opening scene wore austere black church dresses. The witches also sat in pews, reading their spells out of hymnals, their gesticulations choreographed by Andrew George. For the Act 3 conjuring scene, they had stripped down to Victorian undergarments and the pews were gone, allowing for some freer cauldron-stirring activity. 

Other eccentric touches included three feral children, associated with the witches, who acted out the murderous prophecies with daggers and a rag doll. Mr. McVicar also supplied the Macbeths with a backstory and a possible explanation for their ruthlessness: at the end of the conjuring scene, we got a pantomime suggesting that their only child died in infancy. The production’s ending also implied that not all was well—Macduff, collapsed in despair upstage, was hard to overlook amid rejoicing at the death of the tyrant. 

Making her role debut, Sondra Radvanovsky lacked some of the vocal heft needed for Lady Macbeth but turned in a committed theatrical performance. As Macbeth, the strident Craig Colclough started off demented and became increasingly more so as the evening progressed. Christian Van Horn was a convincing Banquo; Joshua Guerrero excelled in communicating raw pain in Macduff’s aria about the death of his family. It was a treat to hear the chorus, lurking in darkness and giving voice to the gloomy atmosphere; the lament for their destroyed homeland that began Act 4 was especially moving. Enrique Mazzola, the company’s new music director, led the orchestra with a bel canto-inspired buoyancy. The transparency was welcome, but the Verdian propulsion was missing, and the dramatic momentum occasionally sagged.

***

Chicago Opera Theater’s concert “Carmen,” performed at the Harris Theater on Thursday and Saturday, had an unusual feature: Stephanie Blythe, an eminent mezzo-soprano, sang the tenor role of Don José. Ms. Blythe has been experimenting in cabaret settings with a bearded male alter ego, Blythely Oratonio; this was their first foray into a full opera performance. In addition, Jamie Barton sang her first Carmen. Opera houses tend to choose more sylphlike mezzos for the part and Ms. Barton, who has publicly condemned body-shaming and celebrated her queer identity, was ready to demonstrate that when it comes to singing, size shouldn’t matter. 

Ms. Barton’s sumptuous mezzo made for a rich, expressive Carmen; she played the role with a direct, I-take-what-I-want attitude rather than as a seductress. (As part of Joachim Schamberger’s minimal staging, she rejected the classic red flouncy skirt in favor of silky black trousers and a motorcycle jacket, which she later removed to reveal a spangly transparent blouse over a black bra.) 

Ms. Blythe’s opulent instrument sits comfortably in Don José’s range, and for the most part the voice could have been coming from a man. It sounded almost too easy, however: Some of the excitement in listening to male tenors arises from the difficulty of producing that high tessitura, and that frisson was missing here. Nor did Ms. Blythe develop much of a characterization for Don José, just the occasional, tantalizing flash of impulsivity and repressed violence. Most critically, there was little sense of attraction or sexual tension between the two characters. Even in concert form, thoughtful staging could have produced some original ideas from the gender-bending and queer identities of the two leads; instead, the show was just a showcase for the voices.

The chorus sections and swathes of orchestral writing were omitted, adding to the showcase impression; and the opera was performed in the version with sung recitatives instead of dialogue. Supporting singers included Michael Sumuel, a robust Escamillo, and Kimberly E. Jones, whose thin, pinched tone was ill-suited to Micaëla. Brandon Cedel, Evan Bravos, Lunga Eric Hallam, Rachel Blaustein and Leah Dexter did capable work in the smaller roles. Lidiya Yankovskaya led the ebullient orchestra. 

—Ms. Waleson writes on opera for the Journal and is the author of “Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America” (Metropolitan).